Machine for separating ores



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

.1). CAR S KADEN.

MACHINE FOB; SEPARATING ORBS.

Patented Dec. 13,1881.

Lnvent Br: QM %wu-f xdmq/ azr N. PETERS. mlo-ulm n hu. wamlnmm 0.6.

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

D. OAR SKADEN.

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING ORES.

Patent-ed Dec. 13,1881.

I \YKL LrLv nt Uli PATENT DELOS OAR SKADEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING ORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 250,983, dated December 13, 1881 Application filed August 4, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DELos GAR SKADEN, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Separating Ores, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines by which gold or other minerals can be separated from the earth or its accompanying gangue without the use of water, and by means of a suctionblast in connect-ion with screens for sizing the earthy particles or the crushed quartz carrying the minerals or mineral-bearing rocks.

It is a well-known fact that the differencein specific gravity between the earthy particles or gangue and the accompanying mineral is so great that with proper sizing the separation or concentration of the mineral particles by either air or water, if properly distributed and manipulated, is very practical.

Reference is herewith made to Letters Patent No. 202,122, for an improvement in oreseparators, issued to De Witt O. Roberts on April 9, 1878, which describes a machine that to a certain extent accomplishes the work hereinbefore mentioned; and my invention consists in certain improvements of this class of machines that will be hereinafter described, and pointed out by the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming partof this specification, in which-- Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section through the center of my machine; Fig. 2, a detached perspective view of a journal-box and the screen-oscillating cam; Fig. 3, an elevation of the cam-plate detached; Fig. 4, a longitudinal section of the rotary screen; Fig. 5, an elevation, partly in section, of two adjacent machines as connected for a continuous operation; Fig. 6, a detached elevation, partly in section, of the lower end of the elevator as connected to the machine; and Fig. 7, a sectional view of a screen-shaking mechanism.

Likeletters designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A denotes the frame, made in any convenient and substantial shape, for supporting the machinery.

ais the hopper, into which the mineraLbearing earth or rock or crushed quartz is fed by any suitable means. This hopper a has two openings, b and c,atdifferent elevations, either one or both of which may be provided with suitable slides for regulating or entirely shutting off the feed. The upper opening, 1), leads upon an inclined sifter, B, and thelower opening, 0, into a rotary sifter, O, of a tapering octagonal shape, and both these sifters are arranged within the distributing-chamber D, that is closed air-tight on top, and has a coarse screen, d, at its bottom. The screenings from the upper screen, B, first drop upon the lower screen, 0, from whence they arecarried by the rotation of the same to the side, over which they drop to the distributing-chamber D, there being plenty of space between the sides of said screen 0 and the sides of the chamber D to admit of their ready passage. The frame of the sitter B rests upon the ends of four vibratin g levers, c, that project into the distributingchamber through slots in the wall of thesame, and are actuated from reciprocating bars E and from connecting-rods f, so as to move in pairs alternately in opposite direction, and to keep the screen in a jolting motion. The octagonsifter O is mounted upon ashaft, F, that is journaled in bearings G, which bearings are provided with cylindrical stems g, guided in boxes h, so as to have a free vertical movement therein produced by the cam-wheels H, mounted upon shaft F, resting upon cam-plates i. The cam-Wheels H raise the sifter and allow it to drop suddenly while it is rotated, whereby the material passing through the sifter G is constantly kept agitated, and the small particles are discharged through its meshes.

Below the distributing-chamber D is arranged a receiving-hopper, I, and behind it a pocket, J, each provided with a gate, j, that is resisted sufticiently by a suitable spring,-. j, so as to be opened by the gravity of the minerals after the hoppers are filled to a certain extent. The receiving-hopper I at its top is closed by a coarse meshed screen, K, a suflicient space being left between screens d and K for a current of air to pass through, which is admitted through an opening, L, and is regulated by a sliding gate, 1.

M is an exhaust-fan that creates a strong draft through opening L and through the space between the screens (1 and K, thence through vertical duct N, and thence through a horizoninto the air-current from screens arranged as tal chamber, 0, which latter has deflectingmentioned is twofold: first, to avoid the deboards mand receivinghoppers a and n, livery of the finer material direct from a hoplwhich are also each provided with a gate, 0, per into an air-current, because the tendency 5 that will be opened by the gravity of the maof co hesion by affinity is so great that the sepaterial deposited therein, so as to discharge the ration of each and every particle, one from same as it accumulates. The exhaust-fan M the other, is very imperfect, whereas by this is driven from a pulley, P, on the main shaft arrangement each and every particle, through 1)byabelt,andacounter-shaft,q,is also driven the action of the screens, is delivered sepai o from said main shaft by suitable pulleys and rately and of the same size, direct through the a belt. Upon one end of this counter-shaft q chamber into the air-current below, and at is mounted a miter or bevel wheel, r, matchthe same time the oscillating movementof the ing another similar wheel, 8, mounted upon an screens not only keeps their meshes from filling upright shaft, Q, which carries a bevel-pinion, up, but also causes a'feed into the air-current 8o :5 R, engaging with a bevel-wheel, S, mounted through the chamberof anintermittent nature,

upon the end of screen-shaft F, and giving wherebya certain amount of the crushed mamotion thereto. The upper extremity of shaft terial is delivered into the air-current at each Q has a crank, t, which transmits a reciprocatpulsation or oscillation; second, the mineral, ing movement to bar E for jolting the sifter B. being of a greater weight than the gangue, :o Thematerialthatis toocoarse to pass through passes into and through the air-current first, the sifter or screenB of the first machine passes while the gangue or earthy matter, being into the pocket a, while that material that is lighter, falls more slowly into the air-current, too coarse to pass through the screen 0 will and, on account of its greater susceptibility, pass into the pocket '1). From these pockets is carried along by the force of the current proz 5 the material drops or slides into the bottom of duced by the exhaust-fan up and over, when the boot of the elevator T, and from thence it it falls into the receptacles n n. is hoisted and delivered into the hopper a of As it is necessary that the air in the distribthe next adjacent machine. This elevator T uting-chamber D should not be disturbed by is secured against the side of the machine, as the action of the exhaust-fan, and that a per- 5 ,0 shown in Fig. 5. The pockets to and o are fect air-current should be produced between shown in detail in Fig. 6 and their application the opening L and the air-duct N, a coarsein Fig. 5. This elevator T is driven by a belt meshed screen,d, is stretched under the mouth from the counter-shaft q. of the distributing-chamber, and another simi- These machines are arranged consecutively, lar screen, K, over the mineral-receiving hopmo 3 5 with sieves having coarser meshes. Acertain per I, which are sufficiently coarse to allow all portion of the material, which is as near asposmaterialfrom the sizing-screens to pass through sible of uniform grade as to size, is separated without impediment. As the current of air in each machine in succession, until from the produced by the exhaust-fan has atendency to last machine only such material is discharged form an air-wall on each side of the channel, to from the end of the screens as is coarse enough the assistance which the coarse-meshed screens to be again reduced in the crusher or stamprender for all practical purposes makes perfect l ing-mill. and absolute walls, between which the air of The operation of the machines is as follows: the current may pass without any perceptible The quartz or mineral-bearin g rock, after havinfluence on the air of the chamber above or I 10 ;5 ing been crushed to asufficientfinenessto sepahopper below the said walls. Much of this rate or cause a clearage between the gangue crushed material, being too coarse to pass and mineral, (and in auriferous earth a screen through the screens of the first machine, passes is used for first freeing the earth of bowlalong and through the spouts and v into the ders or rocky substance of any considerable elevator, which will hoist and deliver it into 0 size,) is elevated into the receiving hopper a. the hopper a of the next machine, where the From hopper a it passes through either or same process is performed, as heretofore reboth the openings Z) 0 onto the inclined screen cited, and so on until all the material passes B, or into the rotary sifter O, or both. The through the diiferent-sized screens. particles that will pass through the screen The elevator T may be dispensed with in lo 55 or screens are delivered into the chamber, cations where it is convenient to place the mathrough which they fall into the channel of the chines on an incline, one below the other,when air-current, the force or power of the said airthe surplus material of one machine may be current being gaged by the air-gate sufficiently fed into the next machine below by its own to carry up and over the quartz or earthy matgravity. 1 25 6o ter through the air-duct N, but not sufficiently What I claim as my invention is-* forcible or powerful to carry over particles of 1. In an ore-separator, the vertical distribut great specific gravity. The mineral is depos ing-chamber containing one or more sifters, B ited proportionally to its gravity into either or G, and the receiving-hopper I, arranged ver the hopper I or pocket J, from whence, by its tically below said distributing chamber, and 1 3o own weight, it seeks an outlet through the selfhaving automatically-operating spring-gate j j acting gates j. The object of thus delivering in combination with the intermediate airinlct,

L, and the exhaust-fan M, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an ore-separator, the distributing-chamber D, having screen (I, and the receiving-hopper I, having screen K, in combination with the air-inlet L and exhaust-fan M, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In an ore-separator, the distributing-chamber D, containing a sifter or sifters and having screen (I, and the receiving-hopper I, having screen K, in combination with the air-inlet L and exhaustfan M, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In an ore-separator, the distributing-chamber D, having screen 01, and the receiving-hopper I, having screen K, in combination with the air-inlet L, air-duct N, air-chamber O, and exhaust-fan M, all constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In an ore-separator, the distributing-chamber D, containing siftersB O and having screen (I, and the receiving-hopper I, having screen K, in combination with the air-inlet L, air-duct N, air-chamber O, and exhaust-fan M, all constructed and arranged substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

6. In an ore-separator, an inclined sifter, B, and, in combination therewith, the vibrating levers e and the reciprocating bar E, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. I11 an ore-separator, and in combination therewith, the rotating sifter O, the shaft F, journaled in bearings G, having stems 9, boxes h, cams H, also mounted upon shaft F, and camplates c, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. In an ore-separator, the combination of the distributing-chamber D, containing sifters B O and having screen (I, the receiving-hopper I, having screen K, the pocket J of the airinlet L, air-duct N, air-chamber O, with hopper n n, and the exhaust-fan M, all constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

9. The combination of two or more ore-separators, each having a distributing-chamber, D, with screen d, a receiving-hopper, Lwith screen K, an air-inlet, L, air-chamber O,and exhaustfan M, and each provided with a sitter or sifters, B O, the meshes of which in adjacent machines increase in size consecutively, and are adapted to transfer the surplus material of one machine to the next adjacent machine, and the shafts F and q, connecting said adjacent separators together, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination of two or more ore-separators, each having a distributing chamber, D, containing one or several sifters, B O, the meshes of which in adjacent machines consecutively increase in size, and having screen 01, a receiving-hopper, I, having screen K, air-inlet L, air-chamber O, and exhaust-fan M, with an intermediate elevator, T, for transferring the surplus material from one of two adjacent machines to the other, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

DELos OAR SKADEN.

Witnesses:

F. W. KASEHAGEN, FRANK D. THOMASON. 

